The Truth About The Ryan Budget

This isn’t a debate. Everyone knows that the Ryan budget would take away the traditional Medicare that seniors have paid into – ending Medicare – and stick seniors with the bill. Republicans now want to somehow spin “ending Medicare” into “saving Medicare.”

Saying the Ryan budget that ends Medicare actually saves Medicare is like saying you’re saving the Bald Eagle by shooting one and having it stuffed.

Don’t be fooled by the spin. Take a look at the truth for yourself:

Congressional Research Service: “Individuals who become eligible (based either on age or disability) for Medicare in 2022 and later years would not be able to enroll in the current Medicare program.” [CRS Report, 4/13/11]

The Economist: The House Republican budget “ends the guarantee that all American seniors will have health insurance.” [The Economist, 4/5/11]

Wall Street Journal: The Republican budget “would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americans, as a program that directly pays those bills.” [Wall Street Journal, 4/4/11]

McClatchy: The House Republican budget “effectively would end Medicare for seniors.” [McClatchy-Tribune News Service, 4/5/11]

NPR: The House Republican budget “ends Medicare as we know it and other entitlements.” [NPR’s Andrea Seabrook, 4/16/11]

Reuters: “Ryan is expected to include in next week's budget outline a proposal similar to the plan he included last year that would have ended Medicare for people under 55.” [Reuters, 3/16/12]

NPR: According to NPR, “Ending Medicare as we know it is a key part” of the GOP budget plan. [NPR, 4/04/11]

Former Bush CMS Director: TomScully -- former Bush administration director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said: "It gets rid of -- and I would do that -- gets rid of the current Medicare program where the government is the insurance company and the government sets the prices.” [TPM, 6/14/11]

Princeton Economics Professor: “For people now 55 or younger, the traditional Medicare program – a defined benefit plan — would cease to exist.” [Uwe Reinhardt, economic professor at Princeton, 4/18/11]